Set-up
Contents
The ATC CDA2 MK2 replaces a Ps Audio Stellar Gain Cell Dac in the reference set below.
- ATC SCM19 V2
- Benchmark AHB2
- Metrum Acoustics Onyx
- NAD M50
- IsoAcoustics Aperta 155
- Cabling: Audioquest and Grimm
Sound
Finding a good sounding CD player is not easy and certainly not in an all-in one device. But here the dac, the running gear and the power supply are perfectly matched to each other. This CD player sounds delicious. Full, round, punchy and with sufficient detailing. If we listen ultra-critical it can be a little more sophisticated in the high but of course we shouldn’t want everything.
The same story at the dac. We disconnect the Metrum and after half an hour we notice how amiable the sound is. Yes, the Metrum offers some more here and there (calm, depth, refinement) but after a few weeks of intensive use we notice that the tonality of the AKM dac is spot-on. It’s a rich glowing sound that makes our streams and traffic jams shine and emphasizes listening pleasure.
After a while the preamp in the ATC CDA2 MK2 merges completely with the Benchmark and together they form a symbiotic duo that seems to be made for each other. The ultra-neutral of the Benchmark in combination with the somewhat rounder Atc is ‘a match made in heaven’.